


Elemental Dumbasses

by shainlov



Series: discord enabled me [7]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Aging, Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Avatar Cycle, Avatar Headcanons, Bakugo Katsuki Protection Squad, Bending (Avatar), Chi Blocking, Child Abuse, Eri Protection Squad (My Hero Academia), F/F, F/M, I am looking at you Mic, Idiots in Love, Inappropriate Use of Bending (Avatar), Loss of Trust, M/M, Midoriya Izuku Protection Squad, Night Terrors, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Profanity, Protective Kayama Nemuri | Midnight, Self-Doubt, Self-Indulgent, Slavery, Slow Burn, Tags Are Fun, Training, Treason, Trust Issues, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Weapons, Young Yagi Toshinori | All Might, might be some avatar canon inaccuracy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2020-05-28 15:44:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19397251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shainlov/pseuds/shainlov
Summary: It's been four years since Avatar Nana from the Southern Water Tribe has passed away. The next Avatar is an unnamed toddler, most likely living peacefully somewhere among people of Earth Kingdom. As predicted by the sages from all around the world, the nations quickly drowned in chaos with crime suddenly rising. The villains always waited for the slightest sight of balance toppling and gave it a last push to fall down.But the peace-maker is not going to appear anytime soon.Despite the rulers staying strong, most soldiers and even common folk lacked the hope that they can do something about organized and powerful attacks from nameless alliance of thugs who seemed to make it their goal to have everyone be as miserable as they can.Toshinori Yagi, a young waterbender claiming to be "inspired" by the Avatar, plans to journey far and do his best to stop the villains and there bring back the peace.(I haven't seen the Legend of Korra nor have I read the comics, so please if I don't know something about the show, don't jump on me)





	1. Anticipation

Toshinori has been gently awoken by the boat's swaying.

It took him a moment to recognize his surroundings. People sleeping in the neighboring hammocks snored, a few were empty of their owners, the clothes in colors of their Tribe - white and blue - were scattered all over the underdeck. The boy struggled to slowly emerge from his hammock, careful not to fall out like he had done already a few times. Since this seemed to be nightly hour still, the noise he'd make would be disapproved off.

There was a lingering scent of smoke caused by pipes and tobacco - it was something new, yet so familiar. Certainly, he's used to all the snoring and the smells... but if he were to get on the upper deck, he'd be met with the seemingly endless sea, instead of the landscape of ice and snow that with hours of canoeing could turn into a land of dirt and tall dark trees.

Every day he's met with the swaying of the boat, it's not really bothering, he loves canoeing, he loves swimming, he's a waterbender! The nature of furious and calm as well water is nothing unfamiliar to him. He's fast to adapt. All he needed was a friendly face of someone he could depend on.

Blue eyes went from wall to wall before closing again. The teenager stifled a yawn while stretching his body, he got off the hammock with the determination to conquer the rest of the night and next day with a smile. 

Everything was easier if he did it with a smile, even if it was a forced one. 

The reality of how far he was from home didn't weigh down on him. He wanted to leave, for such a long time. Perhaps, it wouldn't shock him until he got away from the source of water.  
  
His thoughts steered off to whereabouts of his comfy boots.  
  
He''s been on a road for about a week now.

  
It took a lot of effort for his Tribe to let him go, even if he was seen as a man since he was fourteen. The main reason for his adventure being put off for so long was his inability to convince Sorahiko that he can take care of himself. Toshinori would hardly call Sorahiko overprotective and overcaring, but the man sure grew... nervous about Toshinori's safety past those four years... ever since the Avatar has ceased to exist as Nana...  
  
Toshinori was there when it happened.  
  
Maybe that's why.

The memory of the Avatar- of Nana - brought him a lot of pain, so he avoided it. Even now, after four years, he wasn't ready to accept what happened back then. How fast it happened... it was just too cruel.

The blond finally found his shoes.

Either way... Last week, he was finally told "yes", after four years of trying and waiting, he signed up the last minute for a spot on a ship to the Earth Kingdom. This was a trade route, they went there monthly, but so far Toshinori only planned for a one-way trip for now.

He was aware of this trade route and so he helped the crew prepare the skin, hunting the animals and skinning them alongside, growing friends with them and got accepted as an unofficial member so far. Until recently, he couldn't give them a definitive answer whether he'd go to the Earth Kingdom or not. Perhaps if he was told "no" again, he would be here as a runaway from his Tribe.

It was a secret to nobody that Toshinori was trying to leave the homeland for a long time.

The travel was going to take about from six to seven days to get to the Earth Kingdom, where they planned to sell exotic for the nation, furs. The goods would most likely go further to be transported to the Fire Nation by the Earth Kingdom, the Water Tribes saw it too far away from their lands to trade with Fire Nation. For them, it was just not worth the trouble. 

Although Southern Tribe actually was too far away from the Fire Nation to consider trading with them, the Nothern Tribe just had a very bad relationship with the Fire Nation. The Tribes were sisters, but so far apart, they grew separately with their cultures.

When the group reaches the Earth Kingdom, it will split in two - one will stay with the ship and prepare it for the return trip, restocking the food and water; while the other will travel to one of the major cities and sell there the goods and get necessary and hard to obtain resources, plus some luxury items.  
  
There he planned to take off on his own, or so he thought. He wasn't sure if Dave would go so far with him.

The blond looked over to the bag that he used as a pillow and folded his blanket, leaving his belongings. There were many, too many for his liking, but aside from different landscapes, the whole climate was going to change from what he was used to.

  
Toshinori could somewhat imagine weather so warm he wouldn't need a cloak and the green forests without a spec of snow, he remembered it from when he traveled with the Avatar some years ago, but it was not that clear in his memory. Perhaps, for the best.

There were a few major changes in the weather and temperature ever since he got on the boat, that was true, but he still needed his thick clothes pretty much most of the time because of the humidity.

What was his objective in this whole travel? Well, to scout how much harm was already done throughout the four nations by the organized and progressively stronger criminals... A few years ago, the voyage would be to seek vengeance. Now it was about continuing the legacy of Nana. It was about bringing and establishing peace, and no matter what kind of threat he would face, he had to smile.

Toshinori had to admit it was very naive. Avatar had four elements under his command, and he had waterbending which wasn't that good. He really started late.

Usually, the nations strived through the suffering, and did almost nothing, until the next Avatar - the protector of peace and balance in the world - has been reborn and has trained themselves in all four elements. It left nearly twenty years of gaps for chaos to ensue. The people followed Avatar believing it was the only force able to bring peace. Nana explained to him, that people only will follow a strong leader that they believe will lead them to victory and prosperity, and since Avatar continuously re-appeared and could bend all four elements, the people always believed that the Avatar would ensure their safety and peace.

This time though, thanks to her influence, plus a few outsiders who were accepted into Southern Water Tribe as family, there was mighty will on the South Pole to protect themselves and inspire other nations to do the same. It was so peaceful in the Tribe, that it was boring.

Toshinori was used to being the first one to rise in the mornings(?), and so today was no different for him as he walked up the stairs to the ship's deck. There he was met with slowly and steadily disappearing moonlight. People who kept a watch at all night, yawned out greetings while quite confusedly looking out for signs of morning. Their shift would be over soon. The dawn was near, even if the stars still shone. It was the darkest hour before the light.

As any other waterbender would have it, standing under stars and moon, on a ship that was gently swayed by the waves of the sea, it made Toshinori feel extremely powerful and calm. Not that the sun had ever disturbed him in any way, but it sure didn't give him as much sense of power.

Toshinori went to attend the duties he wasn't requested to help with, he looked up for a moment at the sky. The moon almost has gone away - running from the sun that changed the colors of the sky. The moon always ran away from the sun and the sun never stopped chasing the moon.  
  
He smiled.

"Ah! Look at who's already up!" Toshinori promptly stopped staring at the stars bracing for a punch to his shoulder. "You crazy!" Dave chided playfully, ready to tease. He's been Toshinori's best friend for almost four years now, and it was... a reminder, that life moves on. Whether it was a grim or soft one or even a happy one... he didn't know.

"Good morning Dave, why are you up so early?" Toshinori usually shied away from any confrontations, but since this habit was regularly poked fun of, slowly, Toshinori was getting rid off it.

"Why don't you ever sleep, Toshi?" His friend teased. They were even height - with Toshinori slowly becoming the taller one of them both. They had a few things in common -the characteristic blue eyes of Water Tribe people, both of them were nationally mixed children - though, they were still very different, and that amazed Toshinori. "I was made to keep a watch tonight, and what's your excuse?"

Toshinori was raised in Water Tribe, taught waterbending. He was taught to respect traditions and cultures, to learn and protect, his nature was more of a pacifist and he'd rather turn the other cheek before he'd step up for himself. The case was different when someone else was involved. He'd never back down if someone was in danger.

David Shield, or Dave for short, on the other hand, was raised outside the Tribe - very far away from it, he was raised in Fire Nation, taught to prioritize goals and advancing over friends. Due to that, they've had different thoguht processes. Because of circumstances that occurred about four years ago, he ended up traveling to Southern Water Tribe and making a life there.

Dave was an inventor, working with the iron and delicate mechanisms with his nimble fingers and with a fast and creative mind. He could always come up with amazing ideas that made life much easier in a matter of seconds. He was very good at explaining things too. He didn't do that great with people though.

"Oh, I sleep plenty! Unlike some people." He planned to act as Toshinori's guide during the travel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 27/04/2020  
> Rewritten this chapter again  
> I'm coming back to this AU again, I swear


	2. Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was not what Toshinori expected to see after hearing so many good stories about Earth Kingdom, its people and its villages.

The weather decided to stay nice for the next two days they needed to get to the Earth Kingdom's mainland. Not that the ship wouldn't handle the storm, it definitely would. It was built to handle bad weather and only bad helmsman would be able to turn it into a wreck.

They passed by some islands of pure green that Dave explained belonged to the Earth Kingdom. They were already past the borders and from the boat Toshinori could barely see the shoreline, but he for sure saw an amazing shade of green that was most certainly from all the forests he had forgotten about.

Bad memories easily overshadowed the good ones he gathered traveling with Nana. He has easily forgotten all the funny conversations he had with Nana and Sorahiko, in their place stood a vivid memory of destruction and fire. Only now that he was back again after four full years on a ship, he regained bits of what he would cherish if he wasn't wrecked with grief. Toshinori watched the approaching and disappearing islands knowing they're close, quieter than ever. The ever happy and loud, encouraging "sunshine" turned silent. Just like when Sorahiko brought him back to the South after Nana died.

But it wasn't this unhealthy despair that turned him into skin and bones. Everyone in the crew knew how excited Toshinori looked. Their village wasn't that big after all and they knew each other more than well, the best evidence of that was that everyone knew where everybody lived.

While heading for the mainland, they passed by some fishermen who reassured the crew that they are heading into the right direction before wishing them good luck - Toshinori could only hope that everyone else in the Earth Kingdom was as nice. He's heard that people of the Earth Kingdom had a specific sense of humor and were the most stubborn out of all Four Nations. 

* * *

Hizashi sat on the stone ledge.

He attempted to clear his mind but felt very unsettled for a reason he came up to meditate.

With a resigned sigh, he looked down. It was a long drop, at least a mile. While the fear of heights was muted among Air Nomads, Hizashi was on the verge of what airbenders called fearless and reckless when it came to climbing. He never worried about how long the drop would be, sometimes he'd resign from taking his glider staff which would save his life if he were to slip. He believed that the days he would fall from such heights were long past him. Climbing sometimes cleared his mind better than hours-long meditating.

Currently, his glider staff was secured on his back. He went up the mountain straight from the training. He was sitting with his hands resting on his knees and toes poking out the ledge. He looked up, there was... 60 meters of climbing? That would give...12 maybe 13 more jumps until the very top.

Hizashi then took in the sight from the mountain. He could see the Eastern Air Temple, which couldn't be seen from the place he lived with other airbenders, the Home, with a big "H" because it was a place Air Nomads generally originated from. The women who grew up here, typically came to give birth or to become nuns or to leave their child safely within nuns' hands and continue world-wide travels. Sometimes there came monks that would take a few of the kids to train at one of the four temples, other times the kids would leave on their own taking only a glider staff and good memories.

Hizashi's heart felt very heavy because it was time for him to leave. He was going to turn fifteen thus in eyes of all nations, he was a man. He enjoyed goofing around with kids, but he could only stay if he was a woman who intended to become a nun. He didn't see anything wrong with a desire to give other kids a happy childhood by being a caring parental figure. Perhaps, he didn't fancy an idea of traveling to one of the temples and becoming bald and meditating all day to gain spiritual connection. While Air Nomads men traveled a lot, and it was normal to see them getting to know the cultures of other nations, they eventually ended up at one of the Air Temples and became masters who rarely left their temple to spread a message of love and peace, but ignoring the war and hate.

Hizashi wanted to see the world, but not cut it out after he feels like he's seen everything. He didn't want to be like an average man of his nation, but he couldn't act like an average woman of his nation would, as he was no female, which he cursed repeatedly. He was comfortable with being how he was, but he didn't like social expectation set before him.

He was chosen as one of the few boys who picked the interest of a master who came to check if the nuns were teaching Air Nomads children the spiritual ways, the bending and basic skills like reading, well enough. The master said he'd take them to Nothern Air Temple where he'd show them secret techniques of airbending, while his "brothers" were happy and excited, Hizashi didn't want to leave so far from home yet and he was satisfied with his bending as it was.

Sooner or later, he has to leave, and if he doesn't leave with the master in a week, it's going to be seen as great disrespect... if he leaves now to travel, it's going to be seen as normal thing, little shame that he left before mastering the airbending, but no big loss.

He made a decision, but it hurt him to do so.

He had to prepare himself and Kibo for leaving in less than a week. He had to say goodbye to everything and everyone else.

He could see a playground where he had many friends playing - sure, they all wore similar attires, but he only knew two people who'd jump that high to a ball - Gonga and Imai - and only one who liked spinning in place for so long at the side of the field - Hare. Not so far from the playground (which was troublesome) stood the poles for hanging the wet laundry to dry on sunny days like this one. He's sure he saw Hino - generally liked nun - hanging the clothes while three kids were running/floating around on their airballs helping out. He knew a handful of kids who would help to hang and protect the laundry from dirt - and he bet it was Toko, Sacha, and Kiko.

There were so many people he wanted and needed to say goodbye to, but didn't want to... He couldn't do it.

If he looked in their faces, he'd never leave and throw a huge fit if anyone would try to force him.

He has to leave without a goodbye... _now_.

* * *

Toshinori felt weird putting a foot on land after a week of sailing. His knees felt weak and the world spun a little, however as it wasn't the first time he's been on a boat for a longer period, he was more or less fine in the next few minutes. Dave called out to him and instinctively turning his head, he was faced with a bag. It slammed in his face and the blond was sent stumbling backward.

"I said catch, Toshi!" Dave snorted as he followed his best friend on the land.

"Warn me next time," Toshinori said shoving the bag into Dave's arms when he stood up. Well, that was one way to lift his spirits, as he stopped frowning and had a wide smile on his lips.

"I did." The shorter teen threw his hands up and then pointed to other crew members. "Let's help out unloading."

**Author's Note:**

> I rushed with this because ugh so many ideas and so many wips lord give me strength
> 
> I promise the next chapters to be longer


End file.
